An Unforgettable Summer (1994)

Romania in the 1920's. Marie-Thérèse Von Debretsy refuses the advances of her husband's commanding officer. As a result, the cosmopolitan family is reassigned to a dark and dangerous ... See full summary »

Director:

Lucian Pintilie

Writers:

Lucian Pintilie (scenario), Petru Dumitriu (novel)

Stars:

Kristin Scott Thomas, Claudiu Bleont, Olga Tudorache

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kristin Scott Thomas	...	Marie-Thérèse Von Debretsy
Claudiu Bleont	...	Capt. Petre Dumitriu
Olga Tudorache	...	Mme. Vorvoreanu
George Constantin	...	Gen. Tchilibia
Ion Pavlescu	...	Serban Lescari
Marcel Iures	...	Gen. Ipsilanti
Razvan Vasilescu	...	Lt. Turtureanu
Cornel Scripcaru
Tamara Cretulescu
Carmen Ungureanu
Mihai Constantin
Ioan Gyuri Pascu	...	(as Ghyuri Pascu)
Dragos Pîslaru
Dorina Lazar
Beatha Fülop

Storyline

Romania in the 1920's. Marie-Thérèse Von Debretsy refuses the advances of her husband's commanding officer. As a result, the cosmopolitan family is reassigned to a dark and dangerous outpost on the frontier between Bulgaria and Romania where their relationship and humanity are severely tested.

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Plot Keywords:

border town | card game | goose | sheep | army | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance | War

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Details

Country:

Romania France

Language:

Romanian French English

Release Date:

11 November 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Un verano inolvidable

Filming Locations:

France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$65,352

Company Credits

Production Co:

MK2 Productions, La Sept Cinéma, Le Studio de Creation Cinematographique du Ministere de la Culture

Technical Specs

Runtime:

82 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In a 2002 interview for WENN, Kristin Scott Thomas stated that this is the film that she is the most proud of and views it as the peak of her career. In a 2015 interview for Gloucester Citizen, she cited An Unforgettable Summer as one of the films that she's most proud of alongside The English Patient (1996) and Only God Forgives (2013).

User Reviews

An Unforgettable Summer : A Lucian Pintilie film about some roguish elements of Romanian army.

Those who have seen films by Lucian Pintilie, one of the greatest directors in the history of Romanian cinema, would find it easy to detect his unflinching sympathy for the underdogs. Beginning with "Reconstitution" (1968) until "Niki and Flo"(2003),all his films are about brave people who are able to wriggle out of tough problems solely through their tenacity. One of Lucian Pintilie's more internationally acclaimed films, "An Unforgettable Summer" draws viewers' attention towards the ignominious persecution of ordinary, innocent Bulgarian workers by some bad elements of Romanian army. Its wickedness is shown solely from the point of view of a person whose parents' lives were shattered beyond recognition during a turbulent summer when a group of mean Romanian army personnel punished everybody who was not on their side. One should not be shocked to see that some Romanian army officers were depicted not only as philanderers but also as enemies of humanity. It is amidst such a morass that an honest army officer and his wife emerge victorious as they are able to overcome their ethical dilemma by choosing the path to justness. Although "An Unforgettable Summer" is not a philosophical film per se, Lucian Pintilie's film does succeed in highlighting the message that one man's "arbitrary logic" might lead another man to be despondent to such an extent to even contemplate suicide.